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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28989606">Distant Carelessness</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anima_Lira/pseuds/Anima_Lira'>Anima_Lira</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime &amp; Manga), 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crossover, Demonic Possession, Sleep Deprivation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:55:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,597</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28989606</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anima_Lira/pseuds/Anima_Lira</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He hung up, turned to the curse again. Still no signs that implicated any outburst, only the paler and paler going face told any kind of action at all. "You said that I switched place with someone?"</p><p>"Not someone. Something, a curse for a curse."</p><p>"This body... belongs to a human, doesn't it?"</p><p>"It does." The other went even paler, beating the look he had had on the day he died in front of him even, hands slowly reaching up to touch the face of Itadori, eyes going wide as if in realization. "But if I am here now", he said with increasing voice, "then where is..."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bakura Ryou &amp; Sukuna | Ryoumen Sukuna, Fushiguro Megumi &amp; Itadori Yuuji &amp; Kugisaki Nobara</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Distant Carelessness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"A way to restrain him a bit more, you said", the black-haired student was growling at the incompetent man, shaking the other poor lad in his grip around and around until he couldn't see clearly anymore, "It has absolutely no consequences, you said. Do you want the world destroyed so badly?!"</p><p>"But Fushiguro-kun, I couldn't know-"</p><p>"You are supposed to know! That's why you came to us in the first place, because you are supposed to know! What kind of idiot would come to us without knowing what to do?!"</p><p>The student stopped with shouting after one last final glare at the idiot in front of them, turned away, begun to walk out of the building. This had been a stupid idea in the first place, he should have never agreed on that, should have done what he would have done in any other situation and stay the hell away from any adults that thought they knew how to handle the situation.</p><p>"Itadori-kun, move along already, we need to go."</p><p>He dialed the number of their supposed teacher, but of course no one was picking up, no matter how many times he tried, the same happened again and again until he wanted to smash his phone into the pavement, had to restrain himself (because he really hadn't had the money to buy a new one), in order to not make a scene, just continued on dragging the reluctantly following student behind him, away from everything.</p><p>"Where am I?"</p><p>The black-haired didn't acknowledge the one asking the question, because he couldn't without shouting and shouting right now wouldn't help at all. This was bad, this was so so bad, this was a disaster, a fucking disaster. Why couldn't the damn idiot pick up his phone for the one time in his life that mattered? Why?! The one currently possessing his friend asked again, but made no further tries to stop him from being pulled along. A rather obedient curse then. At least something. (As if.) But this side here wasn't the problem in the first place, it didn't matter which one was here, because the worst wasn't!</p><p>If anything happened - and something bad would happen, would happen certainly - what would he tell Itadori? What would he tell the idiot of a teacher or the idiot of a classmate? He had made the decision, this here was on him, even if the man had been a complete fool, he had been an even bigger one - this was bad. He needed to get that done, needed to get it back. Needed to find the place to which the fool had send the curse and get it back. He needed to get rid of this problem as fast as possible.</p><p>"Where are we going?"</p><p>"You don't need to know. I'm doing my best to get you back to where you belong, so shut up." So he said. But he had no idea where to go either, this wasn't supposed to happen, he had no plan, this wasn't, couldn't- why? Why now? The other had just died, had just been returned to them thanks to the same curse that killed him in the first place, and now this! And what even was the one possessing him now? Another curse with intelligence? Just his <em>luck</em> then.</p><p>"What happened?" The curse kept on asking questions, beginning to regain enough control over its body to stop walking, stopping him as well in the process. He couldn't make a scene right now, or the higher ones would get to know and perhaps decide that now the risk would be even higher than before - and it had been too high for them in the first place, he knew that. If Gojo hadn't interfered, then the one next to him would be dead already. Because of him.</p><p>"A mistake happened, I'm going to change that."</p><p>He counted with an attack at any moment, with the curse going in for the kill like they did normally. <strike>(Those who were able to posses a human vessel in the first place were way too strong, it would end up in a real fight, he would hurt Itadori this way, this couldn't happen.)</strike> But no attack came, the eyes that belonged to his friend kept staring at him out of the wrong color, confused and lost, even though there was no doubt that it was a curse. "What mistake", the other begun to ask, slowly taking off the hand that was dragging him along, with more calmness than he should have been able to, "you say, happened? Where am I?"</p><p>Asking, just asking, not attacking immediately. For now, he didn't have to worry that the curse would go and run amok in the new body it had. He could deal with that, he would deal with that. <strike>(He prayed he wouldn't have to.)</strike> "A spiritual cleaning went wrong. Instead of enforcing control over the curse, it made it switch locations with another one." Could the curse even understand him? It didn't matter, as long as it stayed calm.</p><p>He dialed another number, ready to call her. He didn't want to bring any more people into this, but his own pride wasn't of any use now at all. If he could, he would call Zenin-senpai as well, but he knew that she was way too far away to do anything in the moment. At least <em>this</em> <em>one</em> actually answered her phone.</p><p>"What-</p><p>"We have a problem, a really big problem, Itadori-kun is in danger, where are you?"</p><p>The other wanted to say something, but Megumi held up his hand, interrupted him, listening to the one one the line. At least something. "Then come as fast as you can. I will send the location to you. And don't tell anyone."</p><p>"I'm not stupid. Hang on, I will be there."</p><p>He hung up, turned to the curse again. Still no signs that implicated any outburst, the paler and paler going face telling any kind of action at all. It stared at him, and yet not, it's vision seemingly transparent. "...You said that I switched place with someone?"</p><p>"Not someone. Something, a curse for a curse."</p><p>"This body... belongs to a human then, doesn't it?"</p><p>"It does." The other went even paler, beating the look he had had on the day he died in front of him even, hands slowly reaching up to touch the face of Itadori, eyes going wide as if in realization. "But if I am here now", he said with increasing voice, "then where is..."</p><p>The other's hand reached towards his chest, grabbed his shirt as if searching for something that wasn't there, limbs beginning to tremble uncontrollably. "That other thing, you called it. It is where I was until now, right?"</p><p><em>Unstable</em>. This curse was having human emotions. Why was... how was... why was he being affected by that too? Why couldn't Itadori take over his own body again?</p><p>"Calm down-"</p><p>"Am I right?!"</p><p>He didn't reach out to the other, but he got ready to summon his shikigami if it came to an outburst. He needed to know where the curse was, that was important. He needed to keep his cool. He couldn't allow a scene to happen. He nodded. "Yes. You two switched places-"</p><p>"How strong is it? Has it its own will?"</p><p>"Yes-"</p><p>"Can it take over a human as well? Can it?! Answer me!"</p><p><em>A human.</em> So Sukuna was now... god damn it. Megumi nodded again, and the curse shook his head, grabbed its vessel's hair as if it wanted to mimic a human in every move, not stooping with the panic attack. "This can't be, not after all this time, no. It will kill my vessel. My vessel will try and kill himself- Does the curse need the human to be alive? Will it leave my vessel alive?!"</p><p>The memory of the beating heart on the ground in front of his feet came back into his mind, he suppressed the need to gag, shook his head. No. "It does not." And with how angry and annoyed the king of curses had been with Itadori, he might kill the human just out of spite and because he could. This was bad. Where should they even try to search for him in the first place, where could the spell have possibly send them, where-</p><p>"You said you were going to correct that mistake, boy", the curse had abandoned its moment of human imitation, violet eyes cold and calculating, gaze completely on him again. "How?"</p><p>~...~</p><p>The white-haired sighed once he saw the black marks crawl on his arms and hands like gleeful vines, stood up and begun to draw on the floor of his room with the almost used-up chalk. He drew quickly, a circle with various spells inside, just like in the old days, when he still needed a book as reference for that. When he was finished, the marks had stopped moving already, were done with mocking him. He picked up his books from the desk, stepped (or more likely jumped) into the circle with the last amount of consciousness he had left.</p><p>The feeling of falling asleep begun to vanish, the black disappeared from his arms again, and the room around him shook for a moment. Then it stopped, he picked up his books and went on with learning for the upcoming exams. He had wanted to do this sooner, but due to the - now lying on a pillow (even though it didn't deserve one) in another circle - ring and the spirit that had been possessing it and him until a few hours ago (even though that shouldn't be possible anymore since it had died - <em>again</em>-) all his plans went down with that.</p><p>And they had been pretty bad plans to begin with, since he was in Japan his academics were barely beyond acceptable, his foster father would go beyond mad if he found out about that.</p><p>Time passed, but no matter how many notes he took on the topics, the information just didn't want to go into his head, the words twisting in front of his eyes every time he forgot to blink.</p><p>And it was getting darker with every minute. He really should've considered turning the damn light on before he got into the damn circle. Or he should've drawn the circle around his desk in the first place, so that he wouldn't have to worry about this thing inside him right now. It would have been a better idea without any doubt. Or maybe, he should have gotten even further, drawn the stupid thing big enough to include the whole room. Maybe he should draw a circle in every room - there weren't that many after all - so that he could just jump from one into the other. Even if he lost himself immediately, it wouldn't even take a second before that changed back to how it should be.</p><p>He sighed, rubbed his temples. It didn't matter, he still <em>had</em> light right now, couldn't waste it by thinking over anything else than the information he needed to study. So he continued. Went on with writing, staying in his mostly spirit free circle, ignoring the appearing and disappearing black marks on his hands. If his body was fighting over control with whatever wanting to posses him this time, then he hadn't the time to worry about it now. More time passed, as if it was going faster on purpose, leaving him in the dark room with nothing done. He turned to the switch at the end of the room, eyed it considerably.</p><p>If he went to the edge of the circle and aimed well enough with one of his books, then he should get his light. If he was to spend the night and perhaps the next day inside here anyway, then he could as well give it a try. Which book to choose?</p><p>Well, he had his notes already, he would be fine now. Though if he had been a good or even decent thrower in the first place, a lot of problems in his life would have been way more avoidable.</p><p>Couldn't be helped. He wanted that light on.</p><p>The first two books missed, the latter landing in a manner that made him cringe, the pages folding into a completely wrong way. That had been lend. Teá would kill him. The third one hit at last; the light turned on and he could forget the book in favor of returning to his notes.</p><p>The marks coming and going on his arms were appearing more frequently, as if manifestation became easier with every passing moment. He didn't let it distract him, concentrated on those god damn notes. The system in Japan was as cruel as one could be, he had preferred the English one far more. But that didn't matter. He didn't need to worry about anything but memorizing those information.</p><p>The world could go to hell at any moment by all means with what was going on outside at the moment, with card monsters becoming real and attacking humans. He didn't care, he had this notes to get into his head far enough so that he could actually call on it when it mattered.</p><p>His arm begun to move on its own, moving up and down and all around, clenching and relaxing his fingers. He let it happen, ignored the long dark nails on his hands, focusing on his notes. He got back control on his left arm eventually, losing it on the right one instead. The light flickered for a moment as the beginning rain got harder, crashing against his window like it wanted inside no matter what. He allowed himself a whole second to worry, but as nothing happened, safe for a sigh that didn't belong to him leaving him, he continued on.</p><p>The English related info was the easiest to remember, he used those rules all the time back then without understanding them as well, so he had just to get why and for what exactly. Math was a catastrophe, but he couldn't fail this time, so he wouldn't allow his failure of a brain to not understand it this time. The other subjects were somewhere between those two, PE making the only exception, because the only sport he was handling well was staying out of other people's businesses and falling asleep at random places at random times, because his body was a complete mess.</p><p>His phone buzzed, but it was out of reach, so he ignored it, struggling with the damn math problem in front of him. He had looked up how to do it, had made notes on how to do it, but yet the god damn answer wouldn't come. Where had he gone wrong this time again? Shouldn't he get the X out of the way first before figuring out the Z? Or was the X actually irrelevant to what he needed to do? God, he wanted to cry, why didn't his brain work? For once, only this once, why couldn't it work?!</p><p>He felt tempted to throw away the notes, tear them up, but luckily, both of his arms were out of his control a moment later, touching his face and hair unironically, a nail almost stabbing out one of his eyes if he hadn't moved his head to the side, thus only getting a small cut on the cheek. He would do it without the X this time then, it wouldn't hurt more than the last try.</p><p>The legs on which he sat started to move as his arms were released, he picked up the paper to have it in sight while he stood up, following along with the moves he didn't make and continuing on with it while he was stopped at the edge of the circle, couldn't leave it. So if he got the Z right, then the answer to the problem should be zero. But wasn't he supposed to get the volume of this thing with this calculation? Could it be - no. He just made a mistake. Again.</p><p>The white-haired walked (was walked) around in the circle while he corrected the mistake, fell on his knees as his hand tried to reach outside of the circle and failed as well, stopped by an invisible wall. He corrected the mistake with the other hand on the floor, got an answer that sounded at least a bit more possible than the last one. He got an answer in the first place, which was more than he had a hour before, so it was fine. Give or take two hours more and he would come to finally get the grasp of it. Or he would pass out. Whatever happened first.</p><p>Another sigh filled the room without that he had opened his mouth, echoing from one naked wall to the other. Blood was dripping from the wound to his shirt, but he hadn't the hands to rub it away, wouldn't risk cutting himself with those sharp nails - not that he could use them anyway right now, had to watch as they carelessly crumpled together the notes on the English topics, threw them out of the circle as if to test out the barrier. The paper ball pierced into the wall, stayed stuck there as pieces of brick fell off to the floor.</p><p>The next math problem was solved in his head without further problems though, so whatever guilt he felt about the destroyed wall of the room he didn't own vanished in the joy of finally getting something right.</p><p>He got his arms back, got to the next issue, solved it and tried to memorize how the hell he had done it in the first place, wrote down the differences between the problems and ways to solve them as the time passed by and the typhoon outside got worse. His phone buzzed for a few minutes more, made him pause once to check on the time, only to ignore it too from there on and continue. From math to science, from one unsolved problem to the next until his eyes fell close for a few seconds and he was about to fall asleep without any control over it as always, when a bird smashed against the window with full force, waking him up with its certain death again.</p><p>Where was he? Right, still in science, the concept of it all just wouldn't make sense to him. It didn't have to, but since he was tired, his brain was even worse off than usual, wouldn't get it, refused to memorize what it didn't understand. Once more, a sigh, and the wound on his cheek opened itself up even more - though he felt neither pain nor blood this time, made his hand want to reach for it immediately. He suppressed the urge, starring at his notes, forming the words with his mouth, murmuring them in order to finally get them.</p><p>Another sigh. The nails were gone again, the marks flickering with being there and being gone as if it was a game. Since when had they... no, he didn't care enough to waste time asking. Repeating the words once more, once more and once again, until they repeated them self in his head without him even wanting it, Ryou went on with ignoring the sighs and studying. From science to Japanese. He was almost done. No he wasn't, but he could use that to keep going.</p><p>"This is boring."</p><p>A voice that didn't belong to him spoke at last and he ignored it in favor of opening the book he should've read already about a month ago, the words becoming a total mess before his eyes. No, he wouldn't fall asleep, he had to learn.</p><p>~...~</p><p>"In another... another reality? How even-"</p><p>"Don't ask." He shook his head for good measure and his classmate seemed to be just done enough to take the memo, shrugging and turning to the possessed boy.</p><p>"Well, whatever. Oi, Itadori, can you come out now?"</p><p>"Get away from me girl-"</p><p>The brown-haired was having none of it, begun to shake the red-haired forth and back while ignoring the complains of the curse as if it couldn't very well kill her if she wasn't careful. <strike>If she wasn't lucky.</strike> "I don't care. Do I look like I care? Take control back already."</p><p>"You're cruel, you know?" And really, the violet begun to fade, and Megumi suppressed to sigh in relief, because this didn't have to mean anything. "This thing is like a lullaby. Heck, I want to fall back into sleep-"</p><p>"Rejected."</p><p>"You can't just both reject-" But he didn't listen anymore, was concentrating on how to get back what they had lost. Now that he knew that Itadori wasn't in acute danger at least, could even take over - for whatever length of time - they had to figure out how in the world to get to the place where the other curse had ended up.</p><p>He should've stayed a bit longer in order to beat up that man at least, he really should have.</p><p>~...~</p><p>"Did you summon me, mortal?"</p><p>"Of course not."</p><p>Ah crap, now he had answered. Couldn't be changed. He flipped the page around before the marks and nails appeared again, held the possessed hand out of the book's reach and continued to read while the fight for control begun and ended, only to begun at new. More time passed, he had to reread almost every page twice because of the short attention spawn he had, but he came forward none the less. It was good, it was going to be fine.</p><p>"Step out of the circle."</p><p>He ignored it, reread the page he was on for the third time, before thinking better of it and flipping it around. This protagonist was stupid. The author was stupid too, for thinking that this would be enjoyable to read. Or maybe that had never been the intention anyway and he was the real fool for believing something different.</p><p>Time passed in silence, as he got further and further, until the bandit killed his own wife and acknowledged his own weakness, before leaving and never coming back. It was stupid and he didn't want to interpret anything out of it, let alone summarize and use it in the modern context in one of the ten thousand question that would be there just to mock him.</p><p>He should start with the summary of it already, just staring at the page would only waste time and he hadn't the time. He sighed and immediately lost control over his entire body, managed to kick the book out of the circle, only for it to catch fire and burn off completely, joining his notes in every shape and form. Then the control was his again as he stared into the remains of the book. This hadn't been his either. Teá would kill him. He would have to buy her a new one - maybe he could manage that before she found out?</p><p>Since he had nothing more to do than to repeat the information in his mind, he moved the ash out of the way, careful to not harm the circle in any way, sat down again. The protagonist's problem had been that he had-</p><p>"Humor me."</p><p>"I am a very boring person. Trying to take over my body will be more amusing than whatever I have to say anyway."</p><p>The problem had been that he had no desire at the beginning, only to go off with the loss and the knowledge of his own fault. Not unlike the last unicorn, just with less actual meaning and more killing of one's own spouse. Or had the prince died in the book too?</p><p>Laughter filled the room without him saying anything and he lost control of his arms and legs, black marks dancing onto his skin like it was made to be a paper to paint on.</p><p>"I will be doing that anyway. The circle will lose it's power soon enough."</p><p>As one would expect of something drawn down carelessly within 10 seconds or so.</p><p>"I see. Then I don't think there is much I can say that you won't figure out on your own anyway."</p><p>"I could amuse myself with slowly ripping every bone of yours apart while you are still conscious."</p><p>"I fear my definition of amusement does not match with yours then. Now shut up."</p><p>He could see himself, lying on the middle of the circle, body twisted in every direction that wasn't the supposed one. But the vision was over soon, nothing happened, control returned to him and it was silent once more. Time passed, and he repeated his new info until his head hurt, lied down for a bit, only to stand one second later on both feet, tapping against the barrier and setting the middle of the circle on fire, only for it to die down immediately.</p><p>"From where do you know such drawings?"</p><p>"It won't interest you."</p><p>"My patience is running thin, boy."</p><p>He didn't care. He couldn't care at all, shifted into a more comfortable position on the floor. He was tired and his notes were gone. This wasn't what he had wanted. Why did this have to happen today of all times? There would be plenty of time after the exams too, time in which being possessed by whatever haunting thing would be the most interesting thing that would happen to him, right after hanging out with Yugi and co. on his to do things, but right now is was stupid. Just stupid, nothing more.</p><p>"I read about it."</p><p>"Where?"</p><p>"In a book. You know, one like the one you burned like an idiot."</p><p>His arm shot up, ready to break itself, only to land on the floor again, because the possession stopped. This was a waste of time, he should continue with repeating the memorized information. He didn't want to. He was tired. The circle would lose its power and he could lose control. This could solve itself like the last times and Teá would kill him. He would fail the exams and his foster father would kill him. God, he was tired.</p><p>"How long will it take for the circle to lose its power?", he asked at last, closing his eyes for no other reason than to avoid staring at the ceiling above. He didn't count with an answer, but one came none the less, disturbing the ever present ticking of the clock.</p><p>"In human time? You won't see the sun again, lad."</p><p>It was silent after this, maybe he even fell asleep for a while, maybe not. When he looked at the clock again the next time, out of the lack of anything better to do, it was 4 am. When would the sun rise again? Six? Seven? It wouldn't be much longer in that case. Again, his phone buzzed and he almost got up in order to finally figure out who was wanting something from him to call at this time, remembered himself. He would have to remain here and wait, no matter how much he wanted to get out.</p><p>"How did you even come to posses me? It wasn't by choice, was it?"</p><p>No answer came and it wasn't like he needed one anyway. This damn clock should shut up already. Why couldn't it shut up? He lied down again, waited. Time passed and the answers to his problems were ghosting around in his mind, the way how to solve that math question strangely clear to him now, as if it had been completely easy all along. It probably had been. The clock stopped, the sight of the room became blurry again, before everything went dark at last.</p><p>~...~</p><p>"Can't this go any faster?!" The library was a complete mess at this point, books upon books lying around the tables, no one seeming to care that they weren't going to be put back at this rate or that one of them was shouting around like a wild animal. Curse energy, perhaps.</p><p>"I would make it if I could-"</p><p>"You are useless, completely useless", the red-haired said, crossing his arms and scowling, the curse having taken over about three hours ago, only to complain about everything they did and tried. "My vessel has a dying wish as it is, if it turns out that that stupid curse already got rid of all his friends then-"</p><p>He stopped talking and hadn't Megumi known better, he might have mistaken the words for actual worry instead of what it really was. Disgusting. He didn't want to work alongside this one, no matter how human like it felt, it was a curse, would always want to make humans suffer. But he couldn't get rid of it without killing Itadori, and without the equivalent curse they would never find the vessel that Sukuna had right now.</p><p>Was it too late already? It most likely would be, they needed to prepare for the worst. He wanted to apologize to the brown-haired for having her dragged into the mess in the first place, but there wasn't enough time to even search for the right words.</p><p>And even though they were searching desperately, there was another thought haunting his mind even more than the other one, which itself was wrong and he knew that. But if the human Sukuna was possessing right now for some reason still had control, or even if he had lost it already, had had no chance in the first place, then that would still mean... that if they got rid of the vessel, they would get rid of the curse as well. The danger would be over and... and Itadori wouldn't need to suffer because of a mistake on his part.</p><p>To think like that was wrong and selfish, but logically seen, it would be easier to kill the curse with the vessel (calling it vessel to distance himself already, huh?) together than somehow beating it and then returning it into the body it shouldn't be in the first place. And as for the curse imitating human emotions and personality next to them, what should they do with it? Even if they somehow miraculously managed to get the curses back into the right vessel (which Megumi didn't want to do in the first place), then what, should they just leave and leave the vessel alone with it? Even though they were supposed to be the ones that helped people and that made sure they didn't have to suffer under those cruel beings, should they just go and leave?</p><p>No way, no way. But what if the vessel and the curse were just like Itadori and Sukuna? What if they wouldn't be able to get rid of that one without killing the human as well? It wasn't fair, it wasn't.</p><p>It really wasn't.</p><p>"Oi", the red-haired said, eyes sparkling in a way that could almost be seen as hopeful, thus making the illusion of being human even harder to ignore. "I found something. If this really is another reality, this will do."</p><p>"How can you tell-"</p><p>"Because I am not stupid. Get to work now, otherwise I will make sure this one here never wakes up again."</p><p>It didn't work out. Not at all.</p><p>~...~</p><p>He was surrounded by water. By red water, to be certain. The ceiling above him was red as well and he was sure that that thing next to him was a pile of bones. He stayed there a while, lying in the water and letting the cold close in, careful and slow, like it was trying not to hurry too much.</p><p>Then he sat up, took a look around. The place was huge, seemed endless from where he was, surrounded by piles and piles of bones, shining white against the red light that was emerging from everywhere. The pile directly next to him was going upwards, reaching higher and higher into the endless void above, a throne on top of it all. Sitting there was himself, clearly visible even though so far away.</p><p>Ah. So the marks were in his face as well then. Maybe he should consider bringing the mirror back in his room for moments like these. Or maybe not, considering his luck, it would just shatter at the first chance, whether it was a given one or not.</p><p>The demon, or spirit, or whatever wearing his face was looking down at him smugly, his features twisted into a grin he didn't know he was capable of making. Water dripped down somewhere unknown and he looked away from the other in order to find the source of it.</p><p>This could be an excellent final boss stage. If he could bother to remember, he would try to create a version like this in the next round of Dungeons and Dragons. And who could the final boss be? One of the party? No, this trope was too old to be funny anymore, he couldn't put too much plot into the story, otherwise he might fall asleep in the middle of it. God, he should seek out a doctor soon if that kept on happening, shouldn't he? <strike>Not that it would help.</strike></p><p>Could he even create a space like that? He would need several attempts to get it right, that might not be within his allowance for the month at all. But he could at least draw it, that would do as well, was something at least. He kept on looking around a bit longer, taking everything in that he might include in his picture. He would need to replace the figure on the throne though. Maybe Teá should sit there? As an apology for being a very posses-able vessel?</p><p>No, a new book was probably a better apology regarding that. The Kaiba one perhaps? So that if his father returned from wherever he was, he could show him the one on who's tournament he had fallen into a coma out of nowhere just because. But he didn't remember the other's face enough for that, not at all. Besides, that would be too petty, he shouldn't make the man feel guilty - not like that at least.</p><p>Yugi then?</p><p>The image of a red dragon, big enough to end him with the move of its head, appeared in his mind, even though he he had wanted to suppress that thought forever, made him shiver. Hell no, that stupid throne could just remain empty then.</p><p>The water was really cold now that that stupid image was there to haunt him again, made him shiver even more, he wanted to stand up and walk, run, just move a bit. Anything to get that thought out of his head again.</p><p>"Are you ignoring me?"</p><p>He had forgotten about him already. Ryou turned back to the other. He was still sitting there, watching as if he hadn't anything better to do. Which might be true. What was there to do here after all? The place was huge and fascinating, but just as dull in the end. He liked his mind room more. But maybe that was just him, who could tell. He looked up a bit, then shook his head.</p><p>"You got the hair even worse."</p><p>What was it just with spirits and defying gravity with his hair? He didn't want to look at that. So no mirror. Right, that had been the reason in the first place, hadn't it?</p><p>There was a light blow, another tiny cut on his cheek. His hair fell into the water, seen by no one, disappearing into the nothingness. Huh. It was short now. Did that apply to his real body too? Probably not. He still couldn't get his shivering down, crossed his arms in order to stop it.</p><p>"Where are we anyway? Is that your mind room?"</p><p>It was strange, because his eyes were still green on the other this time. He had been told that they changed into another color. Why could he even see them, this far away? The spirit snorted.</p><p>"The room of my mind? What a funny way to call it. Lad, do you want to die quickly or slowly?"</p><p>"Quickly."</p><p>Who would chose the absurd version? He wasn't a main character.</p><p>"Then tell me more about that circle. I can't have information like that keep on existing when it's practically begging to be erased."</p><p>"Why would it beg?" Oh, that had been a... god, he was too tired for this. "I need to think."</p><p>He <em>didn't</em> need to know what sound an arm that was burst into way too many pieces made, had to gag himself with the other one in order to mute out the following scream. The cold water was very welcoming now, bringing down the pain and replacing it with deadly numbness instead.</p><p>"Did that help?"</p><p>"No-"</p><p>"Then let me help you think some more."</p><p>But the next "helping" never hit him, he was awake again. Hair still long. Arm still able to move, no trace of a lingering phantom pain, nothing. So he was back. A sigh.</p><p>"Spirit, what's your problem? Get done already, won't you?"</p><p>"Be quiet."</p><p>"Shut up. I had a night to study and you ruined it. If this ends up to be just a waste of time then I'm going to seal you myself in my next life."</p><p>"You will die slowly."</p><p>"Who are you even."</p><p>"A king. And for you, a god."</p><p>"Of course you are."</p><p>He closed his eyes again, ignored the complains and threats that were spoken in a voice almost amused, but more annoyed than angry. This night was way too long as it was, and the memory of the information lingered in his head even more than the threats, whispering and twisting the answers together to make them even more wrong than before. How did one even learn? Why did one even learn? Nothing made sense anymore, everything was...</p><p>"And what might an almighty god's goal be?"</p><p>"Throwing around compliments won't make you die faster anymore."</p><p>"It's called sarcasm. I'm mocking you."</p><p>Again, he hadn't thought he would get an answer in the first place. This spirit seemed to be more talkative than the ones he usually got, went even so far to actually talk to <em>him</em>. Then again, usually he didn't respond to other ones either, so maybe it was on him actually. And what would a goal for a self proclaimed god even be? It probably wasn't something he wanted to hear about, even when the alternative was silence and the never ending ticking of the clock, mixed with whatever image of that dragon or his death in different ways flowing through his head. Twisting one's body and dancing around like on strings controlled by oneself? Wasn't there a musical to this trope? Might have been a ballet. What one didn't do to find friends, huh?</p><p>"I will start with those friends of yours then- Ah, crap."</p><p>The wall broke open and for a moment he thought it was a monster card come alive, ready to attack and end him, but then the smoke lifted and the only thing standing in the room were three students, covered in dust and making his head ache very badly for some reason.</p><p>"Did it work?", the girl asked the red-haired boy next to her, who looked even more like he was on a headache as his eyes moved up and down the room, landing on him at last. Then, a smirk appeared on his face, anything but human.</p><p>"Oh yes, it worked."</p><p>The boy came closer and on instinct Ryou stood up, walked back to get more space between them. He didn't want to - not this one.</p><p>"And here I spent all this time worrying how you would be dead already, host. I really shouldn't talk about my dear vessel like that." Violet eyes stayed on him, then went down to the circle, a snort escaping the twisted imitation of a smile. A shiver went over him, almost making him freeze. No, no!</p><p>"You really can be sharp if you want to be, huh?"</p><p>"Don't come closer."</p><p>"Or what? Will you step out and seal your fate? Do you even know what is possessing you right now?"</p><p>"A wanna-be god. Stay away."</p><p>He clapped a hand over the mouth that wanted to give the other's opinion on that one, took another step back. He would step out of the circle. He would do anything to get away from this one. The spirit possessing the boy - it was the spirit, it had to be - laughed, completely amused by it, but stopped anyway, stayed where he was. It wasn't safe, he didn't want to, didn't want to deal with it-</p><p>"Host, don't make a drama out of it now and embarrass me-"</p><p>"Shut up! Stay away!"</p><p>The boy just sighed, sat down. Sat actually down. "Fine. You will die as it is, you know that. And with you the whole world, the demon inside you isn't going for anything but destruction. You're not stupid, think it over."</p><p>"I don't want to be possessed again. I'm sick of it, spirit."</p><p>"You already have only two options. The one where I get back what belongs to me or the one where you lose everything. Do you want that?"</p><p>"You are supposed to be gone."</p><p>"Your so called friend did a shitty job once again. Are you reasonable now?"</p><p>"Get lost."</p><p>He didn't want to. This didn't- he was shivering all over again, didn't want to, couldn't, not again- not again, never again. He held the gaze of the other, slowly took another step back, leaving the circle, his sight becoming blurry and his eyes heavy. He was pushed back inside by the black-haired, who, after a moment of acknowledging that he wasn't a pile of ash yet, looked at him and shook his head in silence.</p><p>It became quiet, the silence looming over them in a mute conversation, as the first rays of light came through the hole in the wall, not quite matching with the artificial light of the room. Another sigh. This time though, it wasn't the mouth that wasn't his own, came from the spirit sitting across from him as he closed his eyes and shook his head, stopping the ever present gaze on him.</p><p>"Fine. I won't come back, you may keep your body."</p><p>"Really?!" He wanted it to be true so much, wanted to hear the other say it again and again, even though he knew how pathetic it would have to sound. He pressed the other hand over the mouth as well, waiting for the other to confirm it. The spirit looked away in annoyance, waved the question away.</p><p>"Yes. Taking control this long over something that does not belong to me is tiresome as hell, I want to rest anyway now. Oi, exorcist, can you put me back into the ring over there?"</p><p>"What ring- yes. Yes I can." The black-haired looked at the golden item with something like grim understanding, but dutifully nodded his head.</p><p>"Great. Then let's get this over with. Sit down landlord."</p><p>He did, ignored the numbness that started to take over, now, that the panic begun to disappear again, watched as the people that were new came and did this and that while the circle around him begun to dissolve, chalk bit by chalk bit, as if there wasn't enough tension already.</p><p>~...~</p><p>"You... might want to redraw this."</p><p>Megumi looked up from his work, shook his head. If only. "I can't. That would destroy the spell completely. Though I have no idea how it worked that long in the first place."</p><p>He wanted to know how that circle looked like in the first place, wanted to take a photo, wanted to see the original, but they hadn't the time for it. They were running on pure luck as it was already. The white-haired blushed, embarrassed suddenly. "...I had no motivation to draw a better one. Sorry for that."</p><p>"Like I said, dying wish." Now that it knew that his previous vessel was alright, the curse had stopped pretending to panic, went back on giving comments to everything it heard. It was easier to listen to, now that he was about to seal it away in this item. To which he wanted a whole book with explanations as well, because this thing was powerful as heck, if they could find out how it worked, they-</p><p>"I didn't know that it would last that long! The problem usually solves itself!"</p><p>"Because I solve it for you! You would be dead if I weren't there to get rid of the bunch of certain deaths you invite in your apartment every other weekend out of boredom!"</p><p>"Because you made sure that I am too traumatized to ever make normal human relationships again!"</p><p>"Those were not your friends landlord, they wanted to exploit you-</p><p>"They were children!"</p><p>"So were you!"</p><p>"Exactly! And I didn't even summoned something this time, the spirit came here on its own! You know, ruining my day, without me even having to ask!"</p><p>"Are you sure? Are you sure you didn't just summon him and fell asleep in the middle of it like the last time?!"</p><p>"Who would be at fault for me falling asleep every fucking time again?!"</p><p>"Go on like that and I will change my mind over this!"</p><p>Megumi finished the drawing on the floor, interrupted the two shouting at each other, ignored every aspect of emotions that threatened to take over. He couldn't, that wasn't the mission right now. He had to concentrate on the mission in front of him, the feelings of never ending guilt could wait till this was over. "I'm ready. Will you step inside the circle?"</p><p>A last glance was given him, the curse standing up and looming over him, the annoyed, even riled up expression turning into a smirk once more, as if aware of his inner tumult. It probably was. A curse was a curse after all, no matter how many human features were there to see.</p><p>No more words were lost, the spirit left its host and the ring started to glow, signalizing that the process had worked just fine, without any interruptions or difficulties at all, as if the curse was made for that one item. Incredible. He wanted to know how it worked. He wanted to know how so badly. But it wasn't the time now.</p><p>"Oi, awake again?", Nobura helped the boy back on his feet, and they were greeted with a genuine smile and a laugh. "Yeah", Itadori said, stepping out of the circle and rubbing the back of his head, "Sorry that it didn't work. We kind of messed that one up, didn't we?"</p><p>He turned to the white-haired in the circle, bowed his head, still smiling. "Sorry for all the trouble. It was a mistake from our side." The boy waved it away, shook his head and had to blink a few times, as if he couldn't quite see them. He had let go of the mouth he had been holding closed until now.</p><p>"Don't bother. Like I said, this happens often enough to be nothing-"</p><p>"So? Will you kill the boy now, brat?"</p><p>The white-haired had lost control completely in the middle of it, fell over as the curse took control, looking straight at the human he used to possess, face twisted and eyes gleeful.</p><p>"It would be better, after all this is just a small part of me, I couldn't care less about it. Go ahead and get rid of this one. Or perhaps I should do it myself?"</p><p>"No one asked you."</p><p>"He kind of reminds me of the other one you begged me to safe. You killing him with your own hands this time would be even more amusing though."</p><p>Megumi didn't know what they were talking about, but he didn't need to in order to stop the other from jumping straight into the circle, ready to strike down immediately. Provocation. This was meant to be mental torture, he wouldn't fall for it. At this rate, killing the boy would probably cause Itadori <strike>(and him)</strike> more mental problems that he should have if he was about to carry through the task of being Sukuna's vessel. There it was, the logical reason as to why not kill of the boy who had nothing to do with all of this, easy as it could be.</p><p>"Itadori-kun, calm down."</p><p>"I am calm. Sorry. As for you", he faced the possessed boy again, face void of any emotions at all, but not finding the words to express the sheer amount of anger he held right now. It was even worse that way, and the curse knew it, grinning slightly more than before, daring the other again to come closer, to be angry enough to forget himself. The circle was only a thin line of chalk now, would stop working at any moment. They couldn't have that, wouldn't have that.</p><p>"Kugisaki-"</p><p>"On it. I'm done, we can start." The brown-haired held the book they had searched for the past hours like a life-line, hard enough one might oversee the shaking of her hands. They would get this over, they had already put one curse back were it belonged - hopefully the ritual wouldn't go beyond wrong due to the fact that that place was the item and not the human. The book had the instructions they needed to get this over with, and if not for the help of Leiri-san who had passed them by on coincidence (even doing nothing she was a better teacher than their own, definitively), they would have never searched for it in the place they had desperately tried to hide and were found immediately. Luckily the curse had been good enough to play Itadori's part - a mean and harsh Itadori, but still a human one. Not any marks on the face had sure helped to deliver that line.</p><p>The ritual was held in silence, safe for the laud and cruel laughing of the curse they were about to send back. If he had wanted to say one last line in order to prevent them from falling asleep for the next month or two, then he was gone before he could finish his sentence. The marks disappeared from the white-haired as he lost his balance, was about to collapse on the floor and caught safely by the brown-haired, who laid him down carefully.</p><p>He had been caught up looking on that, only noticed the hand on his shoulder <strike>(nails long and sharp, resting against his neck)</strike>, when it was gone again, the sharp nails disappearing and the red-haired nodding at him.</p><p>It had worked.</p><p>They had done it.</p><p>It was over.</p><p>"Let's leave."</p><p>"Wait. I still need to-"</p><p>The circle went up in fire, burned away with perfect ease, not harming the one lying within it at all. As did the circle around the golden item, itself remaining in one piece though, refusing to even show any change at all. Megumi just accepted it, because that would have been too good to be true. Besides, they were about to leave this place in a few moments anyway, thinking about how the hell the thing could have gone up in flames without the curse's doing wouldn't do him any good now. <strike>And yet.</strike></p><p>On their way back to their reality the book begun to lose one page after the other, whatever power it had held so far used up finally and releasing the vessel from needing to hold itself together. Something about this image made him want to throw up for a moment, before going under in the immense exhaustion overcoming him.</p><p>They returned to the school after that, tired as hell and ready to go to sleep. The two other's were planing to use the next day to go shopping in the city, a thing he wanted nothing to do with and was included in anyway, too exhausted to even pretend to complain about, when his phone rung. So now the bastard was answering again. Megumi ignored the call, refusing to listen to that voice till at least until tomorrow morning when he would come unannounced to their dorm and stare at the doors until one of them woke up from the nightmares that that would cause. A failure of a teacher, since the very first day, really.</p><p>"Fushiguro-kun, will you be alright? You look like you will fall over at any moment-"</p><p>"You were the one possessed by a curse from another universe. Don't call me out on things until you slept for at least a week-"</p><p>"Ey, let's have a sleepover you guys", Kugisaki yawned, stretching her arms and almost carelessly throwing the book from one hand into the other, "It's gotten late and I don't want to stay awake lying in bed with eyes open because I have to think. Let's strangle each other with pillows instead."</p><p>He wanted to protest, because they would end up at his place, he could tell it without even needing to ask, but thought better of it. Because quite honestly, he was selfish too. Not having to fall asleep alone was exactly what he wanted right now, might as well actually listen to his begging mind now and then.</p><p>"Well, if we really have to, we can sleep at my place-"</p><p>"Rejected. We will go to mine, it's cleaner there anyway, because I had wanted to make a sleepover with Maki-san once she was here again. I will have two now, on we go!"</p><p>They dragged themselves along the way and right to their rooms, grabbing what they needed just to fall right onto their mats and finally fall asleep on that, with the memo of never ever trusting some of the older shamans that weren't approved of the ones he trusted again.</p><p>~...~</p><p>He woke up on the floor to a hole in the wall and with a far better understanding of the topics than he had before. His head felt better than it had since the tournament. He got up with unusual ease, picked up his phone, if only out of habit.</p><p>
  <em><strong>Yugi:</strong> (3.pm) We are going to take care of the problem.</em>
</p><p>
  <em><strong>Teá:</strong> (3:30.pm) Don't leave your apartment if you can, it's dangerous outside.</em>
</p><p>
  <em><strong>Tristan:</strong> (5.pm) I almost died. Way to go teenager life.</em>
</p><p>
  <em><strong>Yugi:</strong> (3.am) We took care of it. Do you want a very dangerous stone for your very dangerous collection? You will get one.</em>
</p><p>
  <em><strong>Teá:</strong> (4.am) You can keep that book. I don't care anymore. If you flirt with Yugi, I will kill you myself. I'm done.</em>
</p><p>
  <em><strong>Tristan: </strong>(4:59.am) We all almost died. Have fun with the pictures of a flying island.</em>
</p><p>There were a lot of pictures. And aside from the really big dragon that reminded him way too much of something he was about to forget again, it looked very good. The demon's mind room came to his mind and Ryou made a decision. He would just draw them all together on that throne. Or just many separate thrones on top of that ridiculous huge pile. It would make a nice change to the usual ones. Had Kaiba brown or black hair? he would make it green then, it didn't really matter. (He could google it. He wouldn't.)</p><p>"Spirit. You there?"</p><p>
  <em> <strong>"Go to sleep host."</strong> </em>
</p><p>"Want to make a deal?"</p><p>
  <strong> <em>"...Did the curse destroy your mind even more?"</em> </strong>
</p><p>"I think he may have healed it. I feel way better than before."</p><p>
  <strong> <em>"You have more luck than you could screw up then, it seems."</em> </strong>
</p><p>"Must be a blessing from the gods."</p><p>It was complete irony. And yet there was a pause in the conversation, enough to distract him for the blink of the moment, before the answer came, more silent than before, almost a whisper.</p><p>
  <strong> <em>"I wouldn't wonder if it really is. What do you want?"</em> </strong>
</p><p>To test out that luck. "The souls of the ones you have captured all those years ago just because you could", he put the phone on the table, stood up and got to the window - well, the new window. "I want you to release them. Put them back into the bodies they belong to, no strings attached, no loopholes and no rebuilding of the words."</p><p>The other side was pretty high. It would only need one tiny step to end this, wouldn't it? A tiny, tiny step.</p><p>
  <strong> <em>"What do you give instead?"</em> </strong>
</p><p>"Maybe I will consider not killing myself to escape this bullshit for once and for all."</p><p>
  <strong> <em>"You don't want to die."</em> </strong>
</p><p>"Do you want to bet on that?"</p><p>
  <strong> <em>"You can have them back. Though you will forget about me being back."</em> </strong>
</p><p>"Memories for souls? How benevolent", he turned away from the hole, faced the golden item directly, as if it mattered. "I want proof of them being back. Back and <em>well</em>, not back and dead due to the shock."</p><p>
  <strong> <em>"Yeah yeah, whatever. Draw another circle, host. It's a miracle that you're even alive, so I will grant you the small wish. This will be my last rent to you anyway."</em> </strong>
</p><p>He did, followed the instruction and got it over with. Then he got to sleep, still not quite getting what just happened, but happy to have used the night to learn. Tomorrow he would draw that picture. Or the day after tomorrow. Now he would sleep. And sleep.</p><p>A very long and very deep sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I wonder how, I wonder why...</p><p>Fun fact: I wanted to make Ryou way more polite than he was, but he turned out just acting like a tired, passive aggressive student when confronted with the demon in his room. And Itadori hadn't to bear any consequences of Bakura's possession besides from being very tired. I think being tired of the situation they are thrown into is one of the main themes that my characters have to deal with. I want to keep ranting about my life, I really do.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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